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Featuring a post-screening discussion with director Pham Nhue Giang.

Lan lives with her daughter Thu in a lowland area in the middle of the Red River Delta. They make a living by buying wholesale groceries early in the morning at Long Bien Market and reselling them locally throughout the day. But when Thu’s mother falls for a driver, she enters a relationship that has no future, and her business suffers as a result. Trying on her own to make ends meet, strong-willed Thu longs for her mother’s affection and in compensation, devotes her affection to her classmate Dang, whom she calls her son. An orphan, Dang also lacks a mother’s love. What kind of soul does a mother have?

Pham Nhue Giang graduated from the Hanoi University of Cinematography and the Hanoi University of Architecture. Since her debut film, Le Petit Culi (1992), she has directed many award-winning TV series and feature films. Among them are The Deserted Valley (2001), which won the Silver Lotus Prize at the 13th Vietnam National Film Festival, the FIPRESCI Prize at the 52nd Melbourne International Film Festival, and Second Prize from Vietnam Association of Cinematography. She has also won prizes for her 25-episode television series Hau Hoa (2007). The Real and the Ideal (2009) was given the Golden Kite Award from the Vietnam Association of Filmmakers. 12-year-old Phung Hoa Hoai Linh won the best actress award at the 2011 Dubai International Film Festival for her performance in the film.

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